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Three Main Functions of the Mind (Repost)

Three Main Functions of the Mind (Repost)

Over the next couple of weeks or so I’ll be on vacation. While I’m gone I’ve felt that I should repost my Top 10 most read articles. Some of you have been following me long enough to have read them already. If so, my prayer is that they will again be a blessing to you.

I enjoy studying teachings about the subject of Creation vs. Evolution. I believe there’s a very important issue involved that no one seems to talk about.

We’ll start by looking at a passage from the book of Hebrews.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3

Actually, it all boils down to one key phrase – we understand. What does it mean to understand?

The Bible talks about three basic concepts that deal with how the mind functions.

The first is knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and it’s the easiest to acquire. We go to school or read books and get knowledge.

The next is wisdom, and that’s a little bit tougher to get. Wisdom is the application of knowledge to solve problems. The only way to get wisdom is through experience or time spent in God’s presence.

The third and most important function is understanding. Understanding involves direction. It looks for the eventual outcome of a line of thinking. It tries to put together all the facts, and asks, “Where does the path I’m on take me?” This process exercises the mind to its greatest potential. It’s hard work and sometimes brings unexpected results.

Because of this, most people will not seek understanding. Yet seeking is the only way to obtain it.  You must choose to understand.

Understanding, then, is exercising the mind to see the entire picture of life. It looks at how everything fits together. This is what our society desperately needs.

Unfortunately, most school systems teach us NOT to understand. Everything is about the present. Does it feel good right now? Instead of understanding, they seek explanations – as long as these explanations fit into their worldviews.

There’s an unfortunate outcome to this kind of living.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Psalm 32:9

Our modern society displays the truth of this verse. The less understanding you possess, the more you need to be controlled.

We frequently hear people complain, “There are so many new and complicated laws now.” What does that tell you? I believe that we’re training a generation how not to understand.

The ability to seek understanding is the basis for a clear direction in life. It’s got to be the starting point. Without direction, there’s no reason for self-control.

This is why the creation-evolution debate is so emotional. It involves issues that affect the very core of who we are and how we view our existence.

Question: How is a lack of direction displayed by our present society?

© 2021 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on August 6, 2021 in Creation, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Cost of Understanding

The Cost of Understanding

We’re continuing our walk through Paul’s letter to the Roman church.  Having finished his introduction, the apostle now begins the journey to maturity.

He begins by talking about mankind, lost and without Christ.  That’s where any walk of faith must start.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Romans 1:18-19

This is an interesting contrast to what he just wrote.  In my last post we saw that Paul talked about the righteousness of God being revealed through the Gospel.  Now we see the anger of God being revealed from heaven.

Who is this anger against?  The answer is simple.  It’s against the godlessness and wickedness of mankind who suppress truth.

We live in a society of spiritual convenience.  What do I mean by that?  It would be very convenient to not have a God that we must answer to.

So on one hand we have true atheists who have made the choice not to believe in God.  On the other hand we have practical atheists who say they believe in God, but live as if God has no effect on their lives.

The result is a society that’s slipping further and further into wickedness.  In Scripture, that word speaks of doing things where it’s self-evident that they’re wrong.

I guess the real question is, how has God made His anger plain?  Many people say that they can look at creation and not even think about a God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

There’s a key phrase in this verse – being understoodUnderstanding means to apply the mental effort needed to reach a decision.  It means to put together everything you’re seeing to form a conclusion.

This is what society fears the most.  If you apply understanding to what you see around you, it will lead you to God.  There’s no way around it, understanding will bring you face to face with God.

The Lord made it impossible to use understanding to arrive at the conclusion that we’re here by the evolutionary process.  Applying understanding to the world around us will never lead to a belief in random chance.  How does that theory come about?

It starts with the foundation of atheism – I don’t want there to be a God.  I must now find an explanation for how we could have gotten here if there were no God.  Of course, all the facts won’t fit into my theory, but at least I can explain how there can be life without God – even if it means I put my understanding on hold.

That’s why evolution will always be a theory.  It can never be proven, because there are too many things that it can’t explain when taken all together.  All it can do is provide a bit of consolation for those who don’t want to believe in God.

This is where the frightening world of understanding comes in.  Understanding will cost you something.  It brings responsibility with it.  Once I understand that there’s a God that I must answer to, the rest of my life is affected by this knowledge.  That’s why the quest for understanding is one which is not undertaken by many.

It’s my prayer that you are one of the few who seek to understand the truth.

Question: How does your understanding of God affect your lifestyle?

© 2020 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 30, 2020 in Faith, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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Understanding is a Scary Subject

LightningThis is my third post talking about why the evolution-creation debate is so emotional.  I have been dealing with the subject of understanding.  I believe this is at the very heart of the issue.  What is it about understanding that scares so many learned people?

The apostle Paul gives us some insight.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Romans 1:18-19

I guess the real question is, how has God made it plain?  Atheists say that they can look at creation and not even think about a God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:20

There’s that key phrase again – being understood.  This is what society fears the most.  If you apply understanding to what you see around you, it will lead you to God.  There’s no way around it, understanding will bring you face to face with God.

The Lord made it impossible to use understanding to arrive at the conclusion that we are here by the evolutionary process.  Applying understanding to the world around us will never lead to a belief in random chance.  How does that theory come about?

It starts with the foundation of atheism – I don’t want there to be a God.  Therefore, I have to come up with some other way for us to be here.  I must now find an explanation for how we could have gotten here if there were no God.  Of course, all the facts won’t fit into my theory, but at least I can explain how there can be life without God – even if it means I put my understanding on hold.

That’s why evolution will always be a theory.  It can never be proven, because there are too many things that it can’t explain when taken all together.  All it can do is provide a bit of consolation for those who don’t want to believe in God.

This is where the frightening world of understanding comes in.  Understanding will cost you something.  It brings responsibility with it.  Once I understand that there is a God that I must answer to, the rest of my life is affected by this knowledge.  That’s why the quest for understanding is one which is not undertaken by many.

It’s my prayer that you are one of the few who seek to understand the truth.

Question: How does your understanding of God affect your lifestyle?

 
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Posted by on December 21, 2012 in Creation

 

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The Three Main Functions of the Mind

DonkeyIn my last post I started talking about the subject of Creation vs. Evolution.  I believe there’s a very important issue involved that no one seems to talk about.

We started by looking at a passage from the book of Hebrews.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3

Actually, it all boils down to one key phrase – we understand.  What does it mean to understand?

The Bible talks about three basic concepts that deal with how the mind functions.

The first is knowledge.  Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and it’s the easiest to acquire.  We go to school or read books and get knowledge.

The next is wisdom, and that’s a little bit tougher to get.  Wisdom is the application of knowledge to solve problems.  The only way to get wisdom is through experience, or time spent in God’s presence.

The third and most important function is understanding.   Understanding involves direction.  It looks for the eventual outcome of a line of thinking.  It tries to put together all the facts, and asks, “Where does the path I’m on take me?”  This process exercises the mind to its greatest potential.  It’s hard work, and sometimes brings unexpected results.

Because of this, most people will not seek understanding.  Yet seeking is the only way to obtain it.  You must choose to understand.

Understanding, then, is exercising the mind to see the entire picture of life.  It looks at how everything fits together.  This is what our society desperately needs.

Unfortunately, most school systems teach us NOT to understand.  Everything is about the present.  Does it feel good right now?  Instead of understanding, they seek explanations – as long as these explanations fit into their world views.

There is an unfortunate outcome to this kind of living.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Psalm 32:9

Our modern society displays the truth of this verse.  The less understanding you possess, the more you need to be controlled.

We frequently hear people complain, “There are so many new and complicated laws now.”  What does that tell you?  I believe that we’re training a generation how not to understand.

The ability to seek understanding is the basis for a clear direction in life.  It’s got to be the starting point.  Without direction, there’s no reason for self-control.

This is why the creation-evolution debate is so emotional.  It involves issues that affect the very core of who we are and how we view our existence.

Question: Do you see a lack of direction and self-control in our society?

© Nick Zaccardi 2012

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2012 in Creation, Faith

 

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Evolution vs. Creation…Is it Really that Important?

OrbitTalk about a controversial subject.  Why should we even bother discussing it?  The debate over Creationism only gets people mad, and makes them think that Christians are backward thinking hicks.  Is our view on this issue important to our walk with God?  I want to take a few posts to weigh in on the subject.  I think you’ll be surprised by some of the truths involved.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:3

A little while ago I did a series of posts on the subject of True Faith.  I came to the conclusion that faith is a walk of discovery and response.  That is, discovering God’s truth and how we respond to it.

What do we discover in this verse?  Actually, we see the foundation of our walk with God.  So often we discount the importance of this truth.  We get wishy-washy because it’s so controversial in our society.  In our desire to sound modern and relevant, we end up denying the very core of who we are as believers.

The hot topic in question is intelligent design vs. evolution.  We seem to think it’s only a peripheral debate.

If that’s the case, then why does the enemy think it’s so important to attack?  Why is it such a main area of discussion when atheists try to show how “foolish” Christianity is?

The reason is crystal clear.  Faith understands that there’s a Creator.  That concept is foundational to our walk with the Lord.  If there’s no Creator, then there’s no purpose to life.  We would also have no responsibility for our actions.  There would be no such thing as sin and no need for forgiveness.  In that case, there would be no final judgment.  Following that logic, there would be no need for a Savior, the cross, or the resurrection.

Everything we believe rests upon the truth that there is a Creator-God, and that we were created by Him and for Him.  That’s why the subject is so important to those who oppose Christianity.  The Creation account is the bedrock upon which everything else we believe is built.

If my faith in God as Creator is shaky, then anything else I believe will be subject to doubt.  I must get the foundation solid in order to stand secure in my faith.

This is such an important subject.  Let me suggest that you subscribe for these posts to come to you via e-mail so that you don’t miss any.

Question: How important do you feel it is to believe in Creation?

 
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Posted by on December 17, 2012 in Creation, Faith

 

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God of Creation

Romans 1:20-23
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

The first part of this passage is why I love the outdoors!  To see the beauty of a mountain vista, fall colors, lake, sky, and wind.  They all combine together to give a sense of awe and wonder.  All of Creation seems to cry out that it is the work of someone vastly more intelligent and powerful than you or I.

This verse reminds us that not everyone credits God for His work.  There are those who see a vastly different picture.  Evolution and chance are the gods of this world.  There are many people who overlook the obvious in order to avoid giving account of themselves to God.  The fact remains that God has revealed Himself in the context of His Creation.

What about God’s people?  How should we respond to the world that we see around us?  One thing I do know is that we must not be found guilty of the sin of ungratefulness.  Never take the majesty of the Lord’s Creation for granted.

Make sure that you give God praise today.  Thank Him for the beauty of His Creation.  Thank Him for allowing us to share it with Him.  And thank Him for His marvelous presence that helps us to enjoy His handiwork all the more.

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

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